The Pikett fire, which broke out a causa di recent days a causa di the county of Napa has already burned 2,750 hectares and caused losses estimated at 65 million dollars, largely borne by the winemakers. According to reports from the newspaper The Guardian, the damage does not derive only from the fire but also from the smoke, which can compromise the harvest and make it difficult to insure farms.
A fire is destroying the future of American wine
The Napa Valley, one of the best known wine areas a causa di the world, is again struggling with the consequences of a large fire. Many companies have seen the entire harvest compromised. Robert Craig Winery, for example, lost the candlestick vineyard acceso the Howell Mountain, sacrificed with a countercuffed to stem the advance of the flames. Con addition to the loss of grapes for a value of 4.5 million dollars, about 10% of the screws must be replanted, with recovery times estimated a causa di a decade.
The problem does not only concern the flames. Smoking remains a constant threat: it can alter the taste of the grapes and leave hints of ashes similar to a bonfire. University and trade associations have been working acceso solutions for years to contain the phenomenon, with specific tests and spray barriers, but the risk remains high.
Natalie Collins, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, recalled that since 2018 there has been a task force dedicated to smoking exposure, born after the camp of Camp and the serious damage of the 2020 Glass Fire. The University of Davis also collaborates acceso the sensitivity of the different varieties of grapes.
The difficulties for winemakers are not limited to crops. Agricultural insurance have undergone a surge a causa di costs. As Ion Slone, Robert Craig Winery tells, the prizes went from 40,000 to $ 300,000 per forza year without actual coverage. For many family -run companies, which represent the majority of Napa Valley, a similar increase is unsustainable.
Some companies have introduced new protective formulas, such as the Fire Insurance Protection Smoke Index Endpoint, which covers smoking damage. However, the costs remain prohibitive for most of the sector.
an institutional level, the Californian wine industry has historically entrusted federal funding for research a causa di the field of prevention. Today the winemakers hope that part of the emergency funds will be destined for the sector, but the local community also recalls the importance of direct support: buying wine from the affected companies contributes to keeping the production alive.
As Slone observes, “the wine region of northern California is one of the treasures of the United States” and its survival depends both acceso institutional aid and acceso consumer società.
